Will this unity government ever get its act together?

 

Malaysia does have an alternative to the current unity government. For displaced Malaysians, and for those in the rural hinterland, as well as for Malaysians who are worried that the majority Malay-Muslim community will be sidelined, the PN coalition led by PAS and Bersatu is a credible alternative.

It does not help that the unity government is saddled with alleged corrupt leaders as part of their patch work coalition of strange bedfellows. Malaysians who wished for a clean break in the last general elections, and for an untainted set of politicians to lead, were stung by the will of the people. The voters returned a hung-parliament.

The “experiment” in 2018 giving a clear mandate to PH, must have spooked the electorate. Of course, after not being able to manage their own coalition properly, this was expected. And, giving the coveted position of the finance minister to DAP, and selecting seemingly partisan candidates for top jobs like the government’s lawyer and main graft buster, really disturbed and unsettled the Malay-Muslim community.

The fact that the PH coalition is the single largest block in parliament now is amazing considering how narrow minded Malaysian voters can be. This unity government of concessions is unwanted, yet it is the best outcome for PH voters.

But seven months into the job, this government has continued on the trend of compromise and appeasement. Again, unwanted, but definitely necessary to keep the fragile pact together. With Umno’s purge of critics to their president, and the volatile nature of Sabah and Sarawak, the prime minister has had to make compromise after compromise.

The economy is another albatross hanging around this government’s neck. Some argue that it is not their fault but it is a legacy they have inherited. Our currency is free-falling, but again this is not our current government’s fault. It is due to the prevailing world economic climate. These analysts build a rather pragmatic narrative that FDIs have gone up and our economy is growing under the Anwar Ibrahim government.

But for the populace, especially those who voted against PH, this rationalisation does not matter. For them, this government is just presiding over rising costs of living and inflation. They neither see nor benefit from FDIs or the economic indicators that we are growing. And, PN is capitalising on this at every opportunity.

Bread and butter issues impact the “rakyat,” which is why many have argued that this government and its ministers need to quickly provide some economic “wins” that ordinary Malaysians can relate to. For example, how does the doubling in the federal government’s annual budget to Kelantan actually help folks in that state? Instead of harping on this in parliament, our ministers need to provide data that the people of that state are actually benefiting from this increase.

So, until and unless this happens, the upcoming state elections will throw this unity government into more frenzied compromises. Constant appeasement is a recipe for a weak government, and a lame-duck prime minister. It is a recipe that Malaysia can ill-afford in these trying times.

There is no debate about the international credentials of our prime minister. After a very long time, finally Malaysia has a leader who is respected by the global community. The problem is that Anwar Ibrahim has yet to win the respect of the local hinterland.

DAP is probably the most disciplined party in this unity government. Loke Siew Fook is erudite and savvy. He speaks sensibly, and is seen to be working his portfolio with earnestness. And, Loke gives all the right sound bites when there is the occasional indiscipline in his party.

Of course, DAP is not without its problems in its “poster-boy” state of Penang. If the party drops the incumbent state Indian leader P Ramasamy against the community’s wishes just to opt for a “yes man,” the party will definitely see a dramatic reduction in support from the community.

The Indians in Penang are not meek. They will punish DAP in the state seats of Perai, Bukit Tambun, and Bukit Tengah where there is a sizeable Indian voter base. And, there will be a knock-on effect in other parts of Malaysia as Ramasamy is seen as a no-nonsense de-facto leader of the Indian community in the country.

Umno makes all sorts of thuggish demands but fails to realise that Zahid Hamidi is a real liability. Of course, even die-hard PH supporters know that it was a massive and unbridled compromise to go into partnership with Umno and appoint him as a deputy prime minister. Perhaps, using his old friendship with Zahid, the prime minister can prevail on him to lie low and stay under the radar instead of making public appearances and diminishing the unity government’s position.

Against this backdrop of constant politicking and big personalities, the losers will always be the Malaysian people. In our country, we might as well resign ourselves to the fact that there are no untainted politicians left. And that we will never have a non-parochial populace which will choose inclusiveness over racial and religious bias.

So, if only this unity government can turn the economy around, and not just on paper, but for real, at least there will be a more stable four years ahead, while they continue with their political chicanery. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT